The history of the largest pecan dates back to 1962 when a dentist constructed a 1,000-pound, five-foot-long pecan in memory of Alvar Nez Cabeza de Vaca, a Spanish explorer who lived off pecans while imprisoned on Texas’ Guadalupe River, which he referred to as the “river of nuts.”
First largest pecan being recorded but the third largest as of this date – Seguin, Texas
In this article, we will talk about the World’s largest Pecan recorded and how Seguin, Texas, lost and reclaimed the title.
The Brunswick, Missouri Pecan
For twenty years, Seguin’s enormous pecan tree in front of City Hall earned the distinction of “pecan capital of Texas.” However, some pecan growers in Brunswick, Missouri, constructed a 12,000-pound, 12-foot-long copy of their trademarked Starking Hardy Giant pecan in 1982.
Second-largest pecan being recorded as of this date – Brunswick, Missouri
Seguin has had the largest pecan in the nation for a very long period. But by the time Pape built a larger one in 2002 to replace the first 40-year-old pecan in front of Guadalupe County Courthouse, that distinction had been forfeited.
According to John Pape, he would have made his 2002 nut bigger if he had been aware of the out-of-state competitor constructed in the 1980s at James Pecan Farm near Brunswick. When the locals did learn, they were somewhat shocked.
Specifically, they were in shell shock when they realized they were up against Brunswick’s enormous concrete pecan measures 12 by 7 feet and weighs 12,000 pounds.
The Texas town of Brunswick continues to make the erroneous claim that it is home to the largest pecan despite gentle reprimands from the people of Brunswick, who sent Seguin’s Chamber of Commerce many postcards, including images of their cherished nut.
The delegation was more amused than afraid ” Since Missouri pecan nuts are smaller than ours, it was amusing to see this enormous pecan with all these small pecan trees around it.” As Sherry Nefford-Esse, director of the Seguin Convention & Visitors Bureau said.
The World Largest Pecan reclaim by Seguin, Texas.
The organization for Pecan Fest Heritage Days decided to bring the title back to Seguin to promote its festival for free.
On the 45th anniversary of the original courthouse pecan’s unveiling, organizers revealed the idea in 2007; however, the contractor chosen to construct the nut went out of business.
Pape was left with little choice but to refer to his 2002 masterpiece, housed in a trailer on his farm, as the “World’s Largest Mobile Pecan.”
Before transferring the project to the Texas Agricultural Education and Heritage Center in Seguin, the Visitors Bureau and the civic organization Leadership Seguin gathered around $5,000 in donations for the new pecan.
The nonprofit facility had the necessary space and created a volunteer construction crew.
According to project manager Mel Grones, the actual building process took over three months and cost under $10,000. A paint job to make it resemble an Indian-variety pecan from Grones’ yard was one of the finishing touches.
Seguin will hold the distinction of having the first, third, and fourth largest pecans when it is displayed for the parade on Monday. The largest pecan was completed on June 24. The new pecan is anticipated to remain on its trailer at the Agriculture Center, downgrading the 2002 nut’s rank to Second Largest Mobile Pecan.
For kids to go inside and learn more about Seguin’s pecan industry, Wilfred Bartoskewitz, who helped build the new pecan and owned the shed it is being stored in until the parade, originally intended it designed that way.
Although the economy is diversified, it still has a strong agricultural base, according to Nefford Esse. Among the hiring accomplishments of the Seguin, Economic Development Corp. is a Caterpillar plant that started operations in 2010 and now employs more than 800 people.
Since the James family in Missouri doesn’t seem motivated to maintain a battle over enormous pecans, she predicted that the pecan title would most likely remain in Seguin.
The newly largest Pecan being recorded as of this date – Seguin Texas
Seguin decided to back up the assertion in 2011 and debuted a brand-new, 16-foot pecan. The largest nut reminds tourists that everything is bigger in Texas by the Texas Agricultural and Heritage Center.
SUMMARY:
With this Pecan war, Seguin finally reclaims the title of the World Largest Pecan; as Nefford-Esse said, “People remember cities for food, so we want people to remember Seguin for its pecans.”
So when you visit Seguin, don’t miss to visit the World Largest Pecan at 390 Cordova Rd, Seguin, TX 78155. Enjoy your stay or visit, and if you want to know more about Seguin, Texas, you can check out the past article we wrote on this website.
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